


Time for a Vacation

by tokyolove



Category: Captain America (Movies), Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Massage, Non-sexual, One Shot, Spoilers, Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-18 01:12:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1409521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tokyolove/pseuds/tokyolove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha tries to relax after the events in Washington D.C. that changed her life. Luckily, she's not alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time for a Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This one shot contains spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. If you haven't seen the film yet, don't read it.

She wouldn’t admit it but Washington D.C. had changed her. And now, as she sat on the edge of the double bed that smelled so much like him, his hands gently and skillfully massaging the knot that had formed in her shoulders, all Natasha could do was sigh.

She had lied to Steve, and that was eating away at her conscience. After all, who lied to Captain America? Even the Black Widow thought that was wrong and she lied for a living. She had told Steve that the only contact she had ever had with the mysterious assassin had been when he had shot a bullet through her abdomen. While that event had indeed happened, and she had shown Steve the scar to prove it, it wasn’t the only contact she had ever had with the man with the metal arm. The Winter Soldier.

It was the voice of the man massaging her shoulders that shook her from the zone she had unknowingly spaced out into, Natasha lost in her head. She had been thinking a lot lately, even throughout the mission. When S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen, she had experienced a moment of true fear – what was she to do? Had her whole fresh start been a lie? Then there had been the worry that perhaps Clint was caught up in the whole Hydra take over, but of course, her mind had argued, he wouldn’t fight for Hydra. She knew him and she knew that he wouldn’t. So why hadn’t the worry disappeared?

“Nat? You okay?”

The archer’s hands had slowed and Natasha looked up, twisting her head to the side so that she could see his face. They really had been pulled through the wringer over the last year. Everything had been fine until that damned God of Mischief had shown up and thrown in the curveball that was brainwashing and an alien invasion. She sighed again, Natasha’s green eyes softening a little as her lips curved upwards in a slight smile.

“I’m okay.” She confirmed. “Just thinking.”

Her voice was quiet, Natasha sounding much like how she had sounded when she and Steve had had their little heart to heart talk in Sam’s bedroom. It felt as if that heart to heart had been months ago, or weeks ago at least. But actually, it had only been a matter of days. A matter of very long days that she could swear had taken years off of her life.

Clint looked at her, concern all over his face. He knew that Natasha didn’t enjoy being fussed over, because that was just who she was – strong, independent, and willing to hit you if you didn’t believe her. Yet, he worried about her, and that was okay.

“Well you need to stop thinking, because it’s tensing you right back up.”

His words managed to bring another small smile to her lips and he smiled right back before starting to rub her aching shoulders once again. She let herself try to shut her thoughts off, to try and relax and let go of all the tension and stress that had built up inside of her. This mission had been the hardest one she had ever had to carry out for S.H.I.E.L.D. Or, she could go as far as to say, the hardest one she had ever had to carry out in her lifetime. Her extended lifetime of blood and missions gone wrong couldn’t amount to the hell she was feeling right now. But S.H.I.E.L.D. was no longer there, it had fallen, much like the regime she had watched collapse back in Russia. Her life was made up of falling regimes. If she had believed in destiny or fate, or anything of that sort, she would have been convinced that it was all her fault. That she was cursed or jinxed. But she didn’t believe in superstition like that.

“What are we going to do now?” 

Her softly voiced question was enough to make Clint’s hands stop moving, pausing briefly on her shoulders before they dug into a particularly tight muscle, a movement that made her groan out in relaxed pleasure.

“Now that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s gone? Well, for starters, you and I are taking a vacation.”

Vacation was a foreign word for Natasha and she frowned a little. She knew what it meant, of course. She was fluent in English and probably better at the language than some native speakers. But she never took vacations. People like them didn’t get vacations.

“What kind of vacation?”

Clint chuckled a little, his hands slowly down and snaking around her front instead, pulling her back against his chest.

“One where we take some time to just do absolutely nothing. We can go somewhere if you like, or we can just stay here.”

Traveling abroad wasn’t one of Natasha’s favourite past times. Most people would be thrilled with the idea of jetting off to some foreign land, relaxing in the sun beside a swimming pool or on a beach. Natasha had travelled so much in her lifetime that she no longer desired it. Nearly everywhere she had gone – and there weren’t many places that she hadn’t gone – held some form of bad memory, whether it was from her past as a girl in Eastern Europe, or from a mission gone wrong. So staying at home, here in New York City, was the preferable option.

“We can finally watch those episodes of Dog Cops you’ve had stashed on the hard drive.” She began to smile just thinking about it and so did Clint.

“We can spend our time just watching television, going to the movies, we can explore New York properly. I know you want to see that art museum.”

It was surprising how well Clint knew just what she needed and Natasha nodded eagerly. Lucky barked from the corner, where he was curled up on his pillow, chewing on a rubber bone.

“And then after our vacation, what do we do?”

Clint didn’t know how to answer that question. He wasn’t sure of what the future held now himself. He had been certain that he would die as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but now that wasn’t going to happen. A part of him was glad, because perhaps he could have that quiet life with Natasha that he had been longing to have for a while now. 

“We’ll worry about that later. Maria will probably start some super cool espionage agency sooner or later. You know she was dying to be a director of one for years.”

His boyish grin was back and Natasha was glad because it kept her smile going. His hands rested on her stomach, just below her breasts, and Natasha let out a quiet sigh as she tucked herself against his chest. This was nice. It was exactly what she needed after everything. She felt him place light kisses to her neck and shoulders, but there was nothing sexual in it and she was glad. It wasn’t that they weren’t in a sexual relationship, or that she didn’t enjoy when they spent that time together, she just didn’t want or need that right now. His kisses were caring and tender and showed her how much she was loved. 

His hands brushed upwards, back to her shoulders, but lingering on the two new marks she had on her chest. The first was the bandage, still covering the stitched up bullet wound, and the second was the spider web of bruising from the electric shock she had given herself.

“I wish you wouldn’t pull those self-sacrifice stunts.” He chided her, though there was nothing strict in his voice. His fingers gently brushed over the bruising, which was an electric blue against her pale skin. Natasha shrugged. 

“I was going to end up being shocked in the chest either way, figured I wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction. I’m pissed it wasn’t me who shot him though.

Clint’s lips found the top of her head, placing a soft kiss there as he wrapped his arms around her and tugged her so that they were both lying down on the bed. 

“Of course you are. Now sleep. Our vacation starts in the morning.”

She didn’t need to be told twice, out like a light before he even had a chance to pull the blankets up and over them. Clint placed one final kiss to her forehead, murmured a quiet goodnight, and joined her.


End file.
